"It's an honor and a privilege to play such a vital role in economic development in our community," said Pierce, chairman of Commonwealth National Bank. "I will work to maintain the tradition of excellence the community has come to expect from the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce."

The 2,200-member chamber replaced its annual meeting this year with a black-tie affair to mark the end of its year-long anniversary celebration. The soiree included dinner and a dessert and champagne reception, and the 600 guests in attendance received a coffee-table book, commissioned by the chamber, chronicling the group's history.

The organization was founded in 1836 as the Mobile Commerce and Business League. It changed its name in 1960.

In the 1920s it led the charge to build a bridge connecting Mobile and Baldwin counties, with then-president John T. Cochrane an instrumental figure. It later supported the initial feasibility study to build a tunnel linking the counties, and in the 1950s and 1960s it financed the bridge that allowed easy access to Dauphin Island.

The chamber has been a key player in several economic recruitment efforts in the area, helping to bring ThyssenKrupp AG's $5 billion steel mill to north Mobile County, Airbus's engineering center to Brookley Aeroplex, and Austal USA's shipyard to the Mobile River. Earlier wins included Scott Paper, Continental Motors and what is now Evonik.